Ed Payne, a frequent guest blogger on Renegade South, will present his original research on two Scottish families, the Collins and the McLaurins, at the Covington County Genealogical & Historical Society at 10:00 a.m, February 19, at the Depot in Seminary, MS.

Ed will discuss the separate economic paths taken by these two families of Scottish ancestry. The Collins and Mclaurin families arrived in the United States in the late 18th century and lived in the Carolinas. When the Mississippi territory opened to settlement in the early 1800s, both families resided for a brief period in Wayne County but eventually moved further west into the Piney Woods region.

Those who have read Ed Payne’s articles and Renegade South posts, or attended his numerous presentations in the Jones County area, know that his commitment to meticulous research and judicious analysis assures an event well worth attending! Guests are welcome.

Ed is indeed, a very talented researcher and writer. I love reading his submissions on your blog! Ed provides great contributions to your historical blog.

My only regret is that I’m stuck here in sunny CA and won’t be able to attend. But his subject matter (economic paths) is of considerable interest to me. One of my primary reasons for seeking my roots had to do with this very subject. As a child I had been told that my Wilburn ancestors trekked with Daniel Boone. On the morning that I turned 50, instead of tumbling out of bed rejoicing because, so far so good, I lay there pondering about those who came before me. IF, indeed, my ancestors had been around during the era of Daniel Boone, then why was it that my own paternal grandparents were hardscrabble poor lives their entire lives?

Thus, the very day that I turned 50, I began my own quest to seek answers to economic question that Ed addresses.
I’d really love to learn more.